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Alabama, ex-Michigan State coach Nick Saban to appear on College GameDay before Big Ten title game

Alabama Auburn Footba_Slag (1).jpg

Alabama head coach Nick Saban seems frustrated near the end of a loss to Auburn during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Auburn in Auburn, Ala., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013.
(AP Photo)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Michigan State fans in town to watch the big
game will have an opportunity to greet former Spartans coach Nick Saban, as the
Alabama head coach is scheduled to appear on ESPN's College GameDay, according
to senior coordinating producer Lee Fitting.

The three-hour show will air live from Pan Am Plaza at 9
a.m. Saturday before Michigan State faces Ohio State in the Big Ten
championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Fitting said Friday on The Paul Finebaum Show that Saban and
new USC coach Steve Sarkisian were to be among the scheduled guests on the show, which
is hosted by Chris Fowler and features GameDay analysts Lee Corso, Kirk
Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack.

Saban will appear for "a few segments," as he'll
be able to address his connection with Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, who
served as his assistant when he coached in East Lansing among other topics.

Dantonio said at his press conference on the eve of the game
that he still does "hear from Nick a little bit."

Saban's Alabama team is coming off a last-second 34-28 loss
at Auburn in a game that ended on a field goal return and severely damaged the
Crimson Tide's national championship game hopes.

"We're not going to grind on him about last week," Fitting
said. "One or two questions."

Corso, who picks the winner of the game on site by placing a
mascot's head over his own, is 4-3 in conference championship headgear picks,
winning his last three.

Fitting noted that the site of College GameDay was chosen
Sunday once Ohio State rose to No. 2 in the Bowl Championship Series rankings.

"This was the right spot to be," he said. "We typically on
this weekend like to be at a location where a team that with a win will most likely
make it to the title game, and that's why we're here in Indy."